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Central Grammar, International School Tile Cross

Hi Ian - as you may have picked up from earlier posts I am married to Paul Burns also ex CGS. I take it you are the same year group? Have you found yourself on the 1970 photo in #51?
 
pjmburns said:
Hi Ian - as you may have picked up from earlier posts I am married to Paul Burns also ex CGS. I take it you are the same year group? Have you found yourself on the 1970 photo in #51?
Click to expand...

Hi Janice
I started at CGS in 1964, sat my O Levels in 1969 then went back to join the lower 6th. However, my Moms new husband felt he shouldn't be out working to enable a long haired layabout to avoid the ''real world'' so it was decided I'd leave school at the end of '69, so although I may have been a class mate of Paul's, I would not appear on the 1970 photo...anybody out there with earlier photos? '64-'69

On the subject of nicknames, for years we called the Headmaster (Mr Goodfellow) ''Freezer'' without knowing why...when i finally drummed up the courage to ask why, a classmate sang:

'' For he's a (pronounced Freezer) jolly good fellow,
for he's a jolly good fellow,
and so say all of us.

My nickname was Twiggy.....those were the days !

Ian
 
Hi Ian - that was Paul's year. There is an earlier photo on the thread posted in the next comment after the 1970 one. I think it is 1967.
 
This is the list of the names I can remember from my year group. Sincere apologies for those I have forgotten and even more sincere apologies for names I have got wrong. Hope you remember some of them.

Ackland Chris,
Anslow Billy,
Anstiss Gerard
Bailey ian
Barton Dick
Birt
Bishop Phil
Bowater Colin
Boyle Hughie
Bruce Robert
Bullock Ian
Burns Paul
Carter Tim
Carter Pete
Clegg John
Clewes Colin
Collins Philip
Davies Pete
Dawes
Dawson
Dutton Julian
Eaton David
Elton Ian
Evans David
Evans
Fagen Paul
Fisher Albert
Ford Paul
Ford Gerrard
George Graham
Golder Alan
Goodby John
Gordon Kelvin
Goulding
Green Rich
Harman
Howes Colin
Hurst Chris
Huxtable Gary
Jones Bryn
Jones Kern
Jones David
Lee John
Lowe
Mallon Paul
Marklew Malcolm
Martin Steve
McClennahan Jim
McClintock Malcolm
Moorcroft Alan
Nagle Geoff
Naylor Derek
Newton
Nichols Keith
Norman Phil
Palfrey David
Parkes Phil
Parks
Pickett Geoff
Pritchard Phil
Raven Paul
Ravenscroft Phil
Robinson Malcolm
Shipway Steve?
Smith Martin
Spring Bryan
Taylor
Turner Roger
Watson Phil
Webb Alan
Westley Steve
Whitehead Steve?
Williams Eric
Williams Vaughan
Windmill Martin
Woodford Robert
Wright Bernie
Wyatt Antony
 
Just remembered it was Andrew McClintock not Malcolm and I thought of another old boy Botterill, I also missed off Stephan Czajkowski. Ian (Elton) if you are around today I set up a 'conversation' with you and left my contact details there. Malcolm Robinson
 
pjmburns said:
Will add more later but my husband is Paul Burns!!
There is at least one school photo (in sections) on this thread.
Click to expand...
Not only did I know Paul from Central, but we were also in the same class at Brownmead and lived opposite each other! Please give him my regards.
 
Morning Kern - welcome to the forum. Will pass on your message. Paul spent over 1hr catching up with Malcolm Robinson yesterday also contacted from here. There was some talk of a meet up. Are you in contact with Malcolm or did you just stumble across this site?
 
Morning too Kern! We have been rallying the troops over the past few days. I have been in touch with Paul, Martin Smith, Ian Elton and am trying to reach Derek Naylor. If you want to keep in touch please let me know. It's amazing a load of 65+ year olds can remember their own names yet alone names and faces from years ago but aren't doing to bad between us. From memory you left after our 'O' levels so you won't be on Paul's 1970 photo on here. There is a 1967 one but it's a bit difficult to see the faces.
 
pjmburns said:
Morning Kern - welcome to the forum. Will pass on your message. Paul spent over 1hr catching up with Malcolm Robinson yesterday also contacted from here. There was some talk of a meet up. Are you in contact with Malcolm or did you just stumble across this site?
Click to expand...
Morning... sorry I don't know your first name, but yes I stumbled across this site and the Malcolm thread.
Can't even remember what I was looking for now. But seeing so many names pop up has evoked some memories. I see Malcolm has also contacted me now, so you might hear more from me.
But as I said most of my memories of Paul are from Brownmead, my main concern at central was getting out! Ha ha.
Speak soon
 
Malcolm Robinson said:
Morning too Kern! We have been rallying the troops over the past few days. I have been in touch with Paul, Martin Smith, Ian Elton and am trying to reach Derek Naylor. If you want to keep in touch please let me know. It's amazing a load of 65+ year olds can remember their own names yet alone names and faces from years ago but aren't doing to bad between us. From memory you left after our 'O' levels so you won't be on Paul's 1970 photo on here. There is a 1967 one but it's a bit difficult to see the faces.
Click to expand...
Morning Malcolm, I also spoke to Martin Smith a few years ago. He was on the road acting at the time.
Derek Naylor was a mate of mine (called Sid for some reason).
I met up with Ian Bailey once after bumping into him online.
Not so easy now as I live abroad.
Although may have to return to the UK in the near future because of health concerns.
You're right about me being off after the o levels...... couldn't wait. Bet the skid marks from the getaway bike are still there! But I'll get my magnifying glass out and look at the '67 picture.
I'm watching this thread with interest! Cheers.
 
Kern, I remember you as one of the bigger lads, like Paul. I ranked among the shall we say the less tall and well built lads, hence my dislike of school sport, especially rugby. Being to urged to launch myself into people like you, Paul, Bernie Wright, Phil Ravenscroft etc, running at full pelt was not high on my list of things I enjoyed doing. I'm afraid I have forgotten your mates at the time, I used to hang around with Mat Smith, Ian Elton, Chris Ackland, Derek Naylor, Gez Anstiss (who lived in Shard End too). In the first year I hung around with the lads from my junior school who came to CGS too. Again, Ian Elton, David Palfrey, John Goodby, David Evans and Roger Turner.
 
I downloaded the 1967 photo then opened it using the photo editor programme on my laptop and found faces were clear enough - not that Paul could recognise many.
 
Kern Jones said:
Morning Malcolm, I also spoke to Martin Smith a few years ago. He was on the road acting at the time.
Derek Naylor was a mate of mine (called Sid for some reason).
I met up with Ian Bailey once after bumping into him online.
Not so easy now as I live abroad.
Although may have to return to the UK in the near future because of health concerns.
You're right about me being off after the o levels...... couldn't wait. Bet the skid marks from the getaway bike are still there! But I'll get my magnifying glass out and look at the '67 picture.
I'm watching this thread with interest! Cheers.
Click to expand...
Kern,

If you get back over here you must let us know. In just a few days quite a few of us have made contact with each other. It seems we are well dispersed. You and Ian Elton are abroad, I'm down in Portsmouth, Martin Smith is in Aldridge and I believe Derek Naylor is in Birmingham somewhere as is Paul. Perhaps at some point we could all get together in the same place for a pint and a sandwich! Although, lack of hair, or grey coloured hair, wrinkled faces and decrepit bodies may make recognising one another a bit tricky. Malcolm
 
Malcolm Robinson said:
Kern,

If you get back over here you must let us know. In just a few days quite a few of us have made contact with each other. It seems we are well dispersed. You and Ian Elton are abroad, I'm down in Portsmouth, Martin Smith is in Aldridge and I believe Derek Naylor is in Birmingham somewhere as is Paul. Perhaps at some point we could all get together in the same place for a pint and a sandwich! Although, lack of hair, or grey coloured hair, wrinkled faces and decrepit bodies may make recognising one another a bit tricky. Malcolm
Click to expand...
Just thought we used to call Roger Turner 'Sid' for some reason too. And another quickie can you remember 'Spud' Taylor's first name? I can only remember him as 'Spud'.
 
pjmburns said:
I downloaded the 1967 photo then opened it using the photo editor programme on my laptop and found faces were clear enough - not that Paul could recognise many.
Click to expand...
I tried chopping it into four sections, like you had scanned the 1970 photo, and then tried opening the sections in my photo editor and zooming in. But I found the same as you the resolution wasn't good enough. You just got a bigger blurred face. Malcolm
 
I just found this list of notable Central escapees. I know quite a few and they have missed a few too but anyway. Does anyone remember Joe Biddulph a couple maybe three years ahead of us but a really nice bloke who hated giving lines and detentions whatever the provocation

Notable former pupils
Central Grammar School for Boys
 
Malcolm Robinson said:
I tried chopping it into four sections, like you had scanned the 1970 photo, and then tried opening the sections in my photo editor and zooming in. But I found the same as you the resolution wasn't good enough. You just got a bigger blurred face. Malcolm
Click to expand...
I've spent about 2 hours scanning the 1967 picture and can't recognise anyone, including myself! Except a few of the teachers.
Must have another try with a magnifying glass, lol
 
Kern,

I knew Roger (Sid) from junior school. He used to live at 1, Este Road. He had an elder brother Paul, two years above us.

As for the 1967 photo, I'm with you! Apart from a few teachers I haven't got a clue. I can't honestly remember if my parents actually bought a copy I certainly haven't got one. To be honest the last thing I would have wanted was my school photo passed round the family so they probably never knew it had even been taken. I have got one photo taken about the second year (one of those awful full face jobs) and I look like I was made up of all the spare bits they had left over from the other kids.
 
Does anyone else have a copy of the 1967 photo? I seem to remember I have got a book about the area which has a couple of pictures of the school, in the 60s and I'm sure one shot inside the old chemistry lab. I will try and find the book, then scan them in and post them.
 
Maybe if we can spot just one person we know on the '67 photo, by calculating the co-efficient of linear expansion of the tangent of the hypotenuse, then multiplying that by potassium iodide, if we know the square roots of our own heights, we could using log tables, determine the latitude and longitude of our positions divided by the circumference of the periodic table. See my education wasn't wasted!
 
I found the photos of the school and the science lab (must be the chem lab at the far end of the science corridor because of the fume cupboards). However due to my ineptitude with my ancient scanner and a difficult book to hold in place the photos a bit crooked, sorry. Don't know what year this is but definitely not ours, just look at the haircuts!

But here's a question did anyone, ever, have a science lesson where everyone worked diligently, quietly and had such tidy lab benches. I seem to remember fights with the water bottles, squirting meths across the floor and setting fire to it, kicking each others bags across the floor and having competitions to see who could stay at the bin longest pretending to sharpen their pencils. That's what boys in other classes told me anyway.
 

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  • CGS and Lab.jpg
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The notes on this photograph say the school moved from Suffolk St to Tile Cross, is this correct? I seem to remember the Central GS boys heading for somewhere in Bordesley on the No.8. Cherrywood Rd.?
 
Malcolm Robinson said:
Kern,

If you get back over here you must let us know. In just a few days quite a few of us have made contact with each other. It seems we are well dispersed. You and Ian Elton are abroad, I'm down in Portsmouth, Martin Smith is in Aldridge and I believe Derek Naylor is in Birmingham somewhere as is Paul. Perhaps at some point we could all get together in the same place for a pint and a sandwich! Although, lack of hair, or grey coloured hair, wrinkled faces and decrepit bodies may make recognising one another a bit tricky. Malcolm
Click to expand...
Well it just so happens Malcolm that I am in the process of moving back now....My dog leaves by ferry/land on Friday this week and I fly to be reunited with him next Tuesday. It´s been 10 years since I lived in the UK and my dog never has, so I´m sure winter will be a shock for both of us!
I won´t be returning to Birmingham though, probably find somewhere in Suffolk. Although I´ll be a homeless nomad for a while. I´ll let you know when I find a permanent residence. ;)
 
Going back to the school trip to Paris, I went in 1958 (I think), memory says it was Easter but was it for second form or third form?Brum to Newhaven by train, Newhaven Dieppe by ferry (with at least one of the crew offering to sell a surreptitious packet of fags) then train again to Paris. At some point we were given weekly runaround ticket for Paris.

Arrived at Lycee Lakenal and found bed in dormitory, breakfast next morning was a bowl of coffee and a piece of baguette, think we got that all week. All very new to a simple Brummy lad!

We went to traditional places like Fontainebleau the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. One day there was a Rugby Match (England/France) and there was a choice to go or not. One or two came back having had quite a lot of drink and were well overdue. The teachers who had to wait for them in Paris were not happy!

There was also a chance to meet and talk to girls, liked that bit. One girl from Liverpool wrote to a group of us a few times after

In general we were trusted to behave sensibly (and did) and I remember one visit where there were several cafes, we were told which one the teachers would stay in, with the implication we thought that we could go and try the others. All very civilised and stood me in good stead for later years.
 
Kern Jones said:
Well it just so happens Malcolm that I am in the process of moving back now....My dog leaves by ferry/land on Friday this week and I fly to be reunited with him next Tuesday. It´s been 10 years since I lived in the UK and my dog never has, so I´m sure winter will be a shock for both of us!
I won´t be returning to Birmingham though, probably find somewhere in Suffolk. Although I´ll be a homeless nomad for a while. I´ll let you know when I find a permanent residence. ;)
Click to expand...
Just picked this up Kern I have been on holiday for a week. I hope the move goes well. Let me know when you have settled in, I will keep in touch and if you can ever get up to Brum we can try and get a meeting arranged between us all. Malcolm
 
Malcolm Robinson said:
Just remembered it was Andrew McClintock not Malcolm and I thought of another old boy Botterill, I also missed off Stephan Czajkowski. Ian (Elton) if you are around today I set up a 'conversation' with you and left my contact details there. Malcolm Robinson
Click to expand...
Haven't been on the site for a while but recall someone posted 'if I could locate only one face' . Below is a snip from the 1966/67 photo - Stephan Czajkowski is immediately behind Knocker Harris and Cag Carter. He encouarged me to enrol at Central after taking 11 plus. Note he is sporting his triangular cycling proficiency badge! He stayed on an extra year and though he was a year older than me we ended up in the same French class with Pip May in year 5. Anyone remember PHWC ?- Prepared at Home, Work in Class - a novel way of ensuring you were only able to complete the task in class if you'd done your homework!

I dont think it will be much of a clue to finding others in the same year as the pupils tended to be grouped by 'size' rather than age, with taller lads being put in the back row regardless of year. But here's a start
1540583799126.png
 
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